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Atopy may not frequently occur in asthmatic children

ORLANDO, Fla. — Fewer than half of asthmatic children had positive skin prick tests, according to findings presented here during the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 2012 Annual Meeting.

The current data report on two studies conducted at the Children’s Chest and Allergy Clinic at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. Both studies investigated whether atopy is a predictor of childhood atopic asthma.

The first study, titled “Atopy in asthmatic children attending a tertiary hospital in Pretoria,” matched 100 asthmatic children with children of the same age and gender who were non-atopic. The researchers performed skin prick tests to standard allergen extracts.

The second study, called “An investigation into maternal factors of asthmatic children for predicting the allergic basis of childhood asthma,” involved 100 asthmatic children and their mothers. Mothers underwent skin prick testing and also completed a questionnaire about demographic details, a history of symptoms suggestive of allergic diseases and a history of asthma.

Results of the first study indicated positive skin prick tests among 45% of asthmatic children and 16% of children in the control group.

Results of the second study indicated that 14 of 16 mothers with asthma had atopic children (P=.045). Maternal atopy or a history suggestive of maternal allergic disease were poor predictors of childhood atopic asthma, according to the results.

Salome Abbott, MD, of the department of pediatrics at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, commented on the results in an interview with Infectious Diseases in Children.

“The link between allergy/atopy and asthma in the developing setting is not as clear as in the first world,” she said. “As an ID specialist, it would be prudent to consider other environmental factors contributing to the causality of asthma. Infectious diseases and antimicrobial burden may also play a role.”

Regarding the first study, Abbott said the rate of atopy in children with asthma was less than 50%.

“This is much less than in the first world,” she said. “The second study showed maternal asthma is the only predictor of childhood asthma. Maternal atopy, allergic diseases or history suggestive of allergic diseases were not predictive.”

Disclosure: Dr. Abbott reports no relevant financial disclosures.

For more information:

• Abbott S. Abstract #28. Presented at: the AAAAI 2012 Annual Meeting; March 2-6, 2012; Orlando, Fla.